An experimental determination of the cross section of the swings band system of C3

The spectral absorption cross section of the Swings band of C₃ was determined from measurements behind incident shock waves that heated a gas mixture of argon and acetylene. These measurements spanned the spectral region between 300 and 540 nm, and were obtained at temperatures between 3200 and 4000°K. An electronic oscillator strength of 0.033 was deduced from the measurements.